Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I’m Jemima L. Yeggs, a.k.a. Stinker.  Pink Lady Apple Yeggs, my landlady and my auntie, wants to read about how younger people, especially couples respond to what the Bible says.  And she wants to know how God is at work at Lily the Pink.

Let me get one thing clearly stated.  I am Missy MacDougall.  I am writing this report so Mommie Pinkie knows that even with Stinker not here, the love keeps going.  I was the offspring of a woman who learned from her mother how to make a lot of babies and get the government to pay her.  In my mother’s case, paying her for children that she no longer had since I had escaped.  But since she had Claire killed, they did not worry much about the federal fraud that was going on.  Human trafficking and murder were higher on the scale.  I went from making babies for my mother’s illegal interests to being a prostitute on the streets to being captured and made a slave at Lily the Pink, all before I was old enough to drive.

But my boss, Cassie Beech Yeggs, the mayor’s wife, and her boss, Pink Lady Apple Yeggs…  Before either of them married into the Yeggs family, they led me to Christ.  Cassie helped me pass the GED and I am going to college.  I could talk for the entire hour, while my husband and I fill in for Stinker, Jemima Yeggs, who is presently on her way to Florda, probably.  They left early this morning with a storm headed toward the Florida panhandle, but they might end up in Alabama or Mississippi if the storm changes course.  And I had no idea why I am saying this.  I know nothing about storms, but to be honest, I feel like taking a class in meteorology just so Jemima and Easter can show me things that I know nothing about.

Okay, for those reading this, I am rambling.  Angus was going to lead the class, and I was going to type up the report.  Being the present head of security at Lily the Pink, I am familiar with writing reports.  I am lost trying to teach a Sunday school class.

Now, since Jemima lists the people who are not here.  On the hurricane data collection trip, we have Mike Lothrop, the Caseys (Dr. Ben, Dr. Ellie, Michael Rowe, and baby Joan), Joseline and her baby that is named after what I wanted my fake name to be, Misty.  Then there are Easter, Jemima, and Stormie Yeggs, along with Arabella Dalton and Joseph and Mary Sheltie Jones.  That is three babies, three fourteen-year-olds, and then assorted experienced storm chasers.  There were others that went that are not part of the Sunday school class.

Other than the storm chasers, Carla and Brenton were still playing golf in Scotland, but we are thinking they may be here next week.

But we still had a crowd.

I led us in prayer.  “Lord, today is a travel day for the Turtle team and the extras.  Be with all of them.  May they enjoy their time.  May they learn.  May they get the data that they are looking for.  And most importantly, let them remain safe and return safely.  Be with the Munsfords as they finish their honeymoon that has taken all summer.  But Lord, Angus and I need some help.  I only teach personal protection and martial arts.  Angus teaches bagpipes.  We are out of our league teaching a Sunday school class.  In your name I pray.  Amen.”

Then, Emmett led his large group.  The lead was sung by Sally Mae and Menzie.  At alto, there was Brooke and Mercedes Lothrop.  At tenor, Samuel, and Emmett.  Darrell sang baritone.  And Goober sang bass.  The hymn was How Great Thou Art.

Emmett added, “Do you have to ask why I picked that hymn?”

I asked, “Is it because we gave you not even a little hint where this discussion was going to go?”

Samuel said, “Papa Angus, what Attribute of God are we studying today?”

Angus laughed, “All of them, Samuel.”

Mary Jo (Colossians 3:1-4) “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

Mary Jo smiled, “This fits what we are talking about, our response to God’s greatness.  And if I kept reading, verses 5-11, we get to practical things.  But these verses say that God the Father and Jesus are above.  It does not say where above, so anywhere that we are, He is still above.”

Angus said, “I have heard that God is right there beside us, separated by a veil.  That is why it was so easy in 2 Kings 6:17-21 when Elisha’s servant is frightened, but then Elisha asks God to open his servant’s eyes.  The servant then sees the Angel Armies that were ready to attack.  Elisha asks them to strike the enemy blind.  They guide the army through the gates into Samaria where they are surrounded by Israel’s army.  So, we have two kinds of blindness.  For now, we cannot see God’s army around us.  But then while God opened the servant’s eyes, the Angel Armies shut the enemy’s eyes so that they were physically blind.  So, with that idea that one filter can be removed from our eyes and we would be seeing the angels that are in this room, we can imagine that the spirit world and the real world coexist, separated by the veil, a filter on our eyes that prevents us from seeing the spiritual.”

Rosie (Colossians 3:5-11) “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”

Rosie said, “I look over this list, and I see a lot of things that I have done.  But with God’s Grace, I do not do them any longer.”

I said, “What we have been talking about is a very big God.  When we pray, do we pray to a tiny god, thinking that he might not care enough to even listen to us?  Maybe he is too busy doing something else.  You might laugh at Elijah’s trash talking in 1 Kings 18, but he is saying things that we might think about God.  But everyone, God is a big God.  He loves us in a big way.  He is all powerful to overcome any misgivings that we have about whether our prayer request is even possible.”

Penny asked, “Blake’s and my prayer was answered.  We should be parents by the end of the year, but what about the woman who prays and prays, but she does not ever get pregnant?  What about the grandma that dies of cancer anyway?”

Angus said, “As for the grandma, if she loved Jesus, she is in a place where there is no more pain.  Sure, we miss our grandparents, but we all die.  I miss my brother, but he lived a riotous life, and it caught up with him.  But in the end, he found Jesus, and he is in the presence of the Lord right now.  That is perfect healing.”

And I added, “And I think you all know Valin, the monkey king.  That’s what Valin means.  He climbs all over the place.”  Jochebed muttered that she has problems with his fearless climbing.  “When Aunt Gwen was in India, visiting GrandPa’s friends there, they heard that the poor family across the street was going to cut Valin’s legs off because a legless beggar makes more in begging than does a beggar with one leg or both legs.  I do not think any of us could imagine Valin without legs.  But a few of us know Aunt Gwen before she went on her world tour and returned with four children and another two for Mommie Pinkie.  Would Aunt Gwen have been in an adoption mode if she could bear children?  I am thinking she might not.  When we pray, it is alright to ask for things that seem good for us, but they are not in God’s will.  He will simply answer us with a ‘no’ because it is not the best for us.  I’m going to read one more Scripture.  Second Corinthians 12:6-10: ‘Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.’  So, we pray to a very big God that can heal anyone, be anywhere, do any good thing, but He does things that are within His will.  It is then our job to realize that God denied a request so that we could learn from that adversity.”

Samuel said, “So, when bad things happen around us, is that God’s will?”

Angus sighed, “Och, lad, we live in a fallen world, ever since Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit.  Remember that once in Heaven, God will wipe away our tears.  But what is within God’s will, that gives Him great Joy is to see us respond in love and faith when those bad things happen.  That may just be the reason why Aunt Jemima and the others are still out on their storm chase next Sunday.  They may be still helping victims from the storm.”

Lauren ran up to Menzie and Samuel, “Mommie!  Daddy!  The buses!  The bus driver is here.”  Then she ran to Grannie Fannie and gave her a hug.

Angus asked, “Grannie Fannie, did you want to have children?”

Still hugging Lauren, Grannie Fannie said softly, ”I never gave it a thought until we were emancipated.  That’s what Mommie Pinkie calls it.  Then, I wept with great sorrow.  After a while of feeling sorry for myself, I went to Aunt Pink.  I was afraid that my Social Security would not be enough to retire and then have to pay full price for my apartment.  I told her how I had ruined my life by trying very hard to not get pregnant.  Then, Mommie Pinkie saw the pain in my eyes.  She offered a new job.  I would still be part of the teaching of new cider operators, but she said that PawPaw was a good grandfather for the children, but they had no grandmother.  God filled that void in my life at that moment.  Now, I never want to retire.  I love babysitting my grandchildren and spoiling them rotten.  Sorry, Otto, it’s just a figure of speech.”  Otto laughed.

Lauren looked up and smiled.  “You’re my Grannie Fannie.  I love you.”

I thought to myself, ‘And you are a much better Grannie than my mother would have ever been.’

Angus smiled, “As we have been doing, let’s end with the Mizpah benediction.  Everyone, bow your heads in prayer.  “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other.’” (Genesis 31:49b)

Brooke came over and looked around as if to find something that was not there.  She smiled, “Sorry, Professor Angus, but I always run over here to get Stormie, and she isn’t here.  It feels weird.”

Angus said, “Can I give you a hug, Sweet Lassie?”

Brooke said, “That sounds like a great idea.”  And they hugged each other for quite some time.  I was afraid I was going to have to get a prybar to pull them apart.  After all, my husband was hugging a much younger woman.

Credits

I basically went with the flow regarding the Scriptures.  They came as needed.  But some of the Colossians 3 reading was in A. W. Tozer’s chapter on God’s infinitude.

Here is Lauren Daigle singing How Great Thou Art.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.